Mthwakazi National Party is carefully following the developments with regards to the resolution of the Gukurahundi genocide. Gukurahundi was a criminal offence aimed at exterminating a political group based on ethnic hatred and its final closure will be after the disclosure of the truth and the execution of justice. This is the only way to safeguard peace in Zimbabwe. Gukurahundi was a grave crime against humanity and must be condemned by all defenders of human rights in Zimbabwe and internationally.

We welcome, with due caution, Mr Mnangagwa's interest to address the Gukurahundi genocide, a considerable step from the otherwise hostile approach of his predecessor, Mr Mugabe. While it is a welcome note that the Gukurahundi genocide is being revisited, it is a cause for concern that the government is not committed to redressing the causes and subsequent effects of the genocide. We affirm that any permanent solution and closure of the genocide must include the families of the victims and aimed at healing the wounds of all those affected.

We recall that it is the duty of the State to honour and dignify all the victims of the Gukurahundi genocide, both the living and the dead. However, we do not expect the perpetrators to deliver justice to the victims and thus call upon the people of Mthwakazi in particular and Zimbabwe in general, to resist any attempts by the perpetrators to evade justice.

True peace among the peoples of Zimbabwe will only be when the truth is told and justice is delivered. Only then can we achieve the reconciliation necessary for social development. Mthwakazi National Party is dedicated to the mobilisation and conscientisation of the people of Mthwakazi to take the power and deliver justice for the people of the Midlands and Mathebeleland regions of Zimbabwe. Justice delayed for the people of Mathebeleland and Midlands is justice denied. The resolution of the Gukurahundi genocide is not a question of peace at the expense of justice, but for justice as a pre-requisite for peace in Zimbabwe. We would also like to emphasise the urgency due to the subject, recalling that it is necessary to collect evidence from living survivors and witnesses for the imminent criminal justice in the near future.

It is through affirmative action that the people of Mathebeleland and Midlands can fully recover from the evils of the successive governments since the colonization of Mthwakazi in November of 1893 to date. The solution must also include those who were affected in different ways, affirming and considering that the genocide was a planned and multi-faceted programme of evil action that changed the lives of many people in a negative way.

There is enough evidence to convict former and current senior officials of the government of Zimbabwe before a just court of law on the Gukurahundi genocide. These include the then Prime Minister and former president Robert Mugabe, the then Minister of State Security and the current President, Emerson Mnangagwa, the then Commander of the Fifth Brigade and current Minister of Agriculture, Perrence Shiri among many others.

We hail the efforts of civic organisations to bring the Gukurahundi issue to discussion and urge our people to support all efforts, big and small, aimed at resolving the wrongs of the past. We commend the good works of such organisations as ZPRA War Veterans Trust, Ukuthula Trust, Ibhetshu Likazulu, Habakkuk Trust and many more organisations and individuals of good faith who are directly engaging the victims and collecting information from witnesses and survivors.

We would like to challenge the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission to exercise due diligence in its primary objective of resolving the Gukurahundi genocide and other post-independence political crimes perpetrated especially by the State, with the unbiased view of bringing lasting peace and genuine reconciliation for the people of Zimbabwe.

Recalling the place and role of the United Kingdom in post-independence Zimbabwe, the undisputable and direct involvement of North Korea in the genocide and all other foreign parties who were either compliant or ignorant on the matter, we charge the international community to act in good faith, in solidarity with the people of Mthwakazi. Peace in Zimbabwe is peace to the world. We urge all actors, foreign states, religious communities, investors and all people of influence around the world to challenge the government of Zimbabwe and advocate for the establishment of an independent court to investigate and convict the perpetrators, to resolve the issue of the Gukurahundi genocide with the depth it deserves.

We condemn all efforts by the perpetrators and beneficiaries of the genocide to destroy evidence, suppress truth telling, sanctify the evil past and delay justice. The negative and unconstructive statements echoed by some senior government officials, such as the Presidential Spokesperson Mr George Charamba on the Gukurahundi issue are reason enough to doubt the government's willingness to right the wrongs of the past.

In our determination to resolve the Mthwakazi question and bring true peace to the people of Mthwakazi, we demand due independent investigations to the causes of the genocide and the unveiling of the truth. More so, we demand the criminalisation of all those responsible for the murder of thousands of unarmed men, women and children.We affirm that the ultimate justice for the people of Mthwakazi is their right to independence. Mthwakazi National Party is dedicated to forcing the ZANU PF regime to organising a referendum on Mthwakazi independence.

Siyaphambili!!!Tondambeli!!! Tuya kunembo!!!

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